Explainer

Meet the 12 everyday Australians sitting as jurors in 'The Jury: Death on the Staircase'

In this gripping documentary event, a real court case in re-enacted from real court transcripts in front of a new jury of 12 everyday Australians. Meet them before they step into the courtroom.

Harrish, Mishelle, Monique, Anya, Craig and Rose sitting in the jury.

Harrish, Mishelle, Monique, Anya, Craig and Rose sitting in the jury.

Monique, 30 - Funeral Attendant

Monique, The Jury: Death on the Staircase.
Monique, one of the jurors in 'The Jury: Death on the Staircase'.
Monique works in the funeral and crematorium business. Being close to death and bereavement has forged a unique level of empathy. She hates injustice and when she sees people who need help, her reflex is to do something useful, even if that comes with a personal cost. If witnessing prejudice or unfair bias, she will engage in conflict for the sake of her beliefs. Monique is aware that "the law is the law" and evidence in a criminal trial must be considered objectively. She understands that as a juror, she will need to work hard to put her emotions aside.

Harrish, 25 - Fintech Manager

Harrish, one of the jurors in 'The Jury: Death on the Staircase'.
Harrish, one of the jurors in 'The Jury: Death on the Staircase'.
Gentle spirit Harrish was born in New Zealand with Sri Lankan heritage. He’s a calm, well spoken, intelligent man. His strict upbringing has come with high expectations. After completing a Bachelor of Commerce, Harrish has kicked-off his career working for a ‘fintech’ start-up. He is very close with his family and still lives with his parents. Harrish has a deep affiliation with Tamil and Hindu heritage. He’s a keen public speaker and enjoys exchanging viewpoints, particularly with people from different cultural backgrounds.

Rose, 76 - Retired Hospital Clerk

Rose, one of the jurors in 'The Jury: Death on the Staircase'.
Rose, one of the jurors in 'The Jury: Death on the Staircase'.
Rose is a grandmother with an infectious laugh. She came to Australia from the Philippines at the age of 21. A true global citizen, Rose’s father was Austrian, and she married an Irishman, but she feels more Aussie than anything else. Now retired, Rose held one of the most rewarding jobs available: A clerk in a hospital emergency department. She has witnessed the good, the bad and the ugly of humanity.

Michael, 35 - SCG Groundsman

Michael, one of the jurors in 'The Jury: Death on the Staircase'.
Michael, one of the jurors in 'The Jury: Death on the Staircase'.
Michael grew up in Sydney’s Sutherland Shire. He works as a groundsman at the SCG and, like so many Australians, he loves his sport. Michael is affable and friendly. Tears of joy make him more emotional than tears of sadness. Michael is not politically extreme, but his tattoo count is. He started getting inked as a way of dealing with pain when he was diagnosed with Ankylosing spondylitis, a crippling autoimmune disease that requires weekly injections. He has experienced judgement from afar because of his appearance and will take that experience into the courtroom with him. Argumentative if provoked, he understands the importance of compromise and believes this is the key to a peaceful society

Anya, 54 - Sex Therapist

Anya, one of the jurors in 'The Jury: Death on the Staircase'.
Anya, one of the jurors in 'The Jury: Death on the Staircase'.
Anya presents as an affable, open, and friendly middle-aged woman, but she is far from mainstream. She came to Australia alone from Siberia at the age of 23 with just $200 in her pocket. Adversity did not prevent her from building a life for herself and a career as a therapist specialising in sex and relationship counselling. She doesn’t believe in the institution of marriage and identifies as queer. A provocateur, Anya calls herself a ‘social justice warrior’ and claims to have a connection with, and understanding of, society’s minorities. She says her friends and family describe her accurately: extroverted, outspoken, opinionated, very progressive, and very direct!

Audrey, 51 - Logistics Manager

Audrey, one of the jurors in 'The Jury: Death on the Staircase'.
Audrey, one of the jurors in 'The Jury: Death on the Staircase'.
Audrey is a Chinese woman who loves her job in logistics because she is an enthusiastic problem-solver. She says her eye for detail is her best trait. She also describes herself as observant, calm and quiet. Despite her quiet demeanour, Audrey embraces the job of people management. Audrey has had ‘complicated’ relationships. Audrey believes she will be the person in the jury room who absorbs facts, considers evidence from every angle, and clearly directs her fellow jurors toward a logical conclusion.

Tahi, 21 - Music Graduate

Tahi, one of the jurors in 'The Jury: Death on the Staircase'.
Tahi, one of the jurors in 'The Jury: Death on the Staircase'.
Tahi’s heritage is Māori. He describes himself as ‘white passing’ so doesn’t directly experience the racism he believes exists in Australian society, but is very aware of prejudice around him, as both a gay man and someone with Indigenous heritage. Tahi grew up in a commune, living in the rainforest on the NSW North Coast and says his parents had a ‘complicated’ relationship. He now lives on the lower North Shore with his grandmother, who he describes as his best friend.

Kathy (age undisclosed) - Retired Project Manager

Kathy, one of the jurors in 'The Jury: Death on the Staircase'.
Kathy, one of the jurors in 'The Jury: Death on the Staircase'.
Kathy is the daughter of Russian and Ukrainian parents and grew up as an only child in a very strict household. She was Head Prefect at school and rolled into a corporate career as a project manager in financial and consulting sectors. Kathy loved work and the feeling of always striving to break new ground. Kathy considers herself a perceptive person who will read the room, the people in it and their interactions. She believes people need to find middle ground when debating a point and if that can’t be achieved, they need to be able to be very clear and persuasive with their argument. Kathy has faith in the justice system and feels it should probably be harsher in its approach to crime.

Van, 48 - Children’s Entertainer

Van, one of the jurors in 'The Jury: Death on the Staircase'.
Van, one of the jurors in 'The Jury: Death on the Staircase'.
Van is the divorced dad of two little girls and is trying to make a career as a singer/songwriter, specialising in children’s music. He was born in the Philippines but grew up in Western Sydney. Van is a devout Roman Catholic who attends church every Sunday. Van believes that if a crime is committed, there should be an appropriate punishment.

Craig, 56 - Former Prison Officer

Craig, one of the jurors in 'The Jury: Death on the Staircase'.
Craig, one of the jurors in 'The Jury: Death on the Staircase'.
Craig, or ‘Roachy’ as he is better known, is a self-described ‘cranky old bugger.’ He and his wife have 10 kids together, including a high-needs 12-year-old daughter with spina bifida. At 21 years of age, Craig started a career as a corrections officer, but gave it up after 14 years. Working in prisons, he witnessed extreme violence. He reckons he got through it because he was mentally tough, and because he didn’t empathise with inmates. He decided to get out when his family were threatened. His second career is a builder - and he loves it. To this day, Craig is wary of criminals, and he certainly doesn’t trust the justice system. He thinks lawyers will do whatever it takes, even lie, to win a case. He believes there are not enough prisons to lock everyone away, and as a result the system is a shambles. Craig says he was brought up in an age where men didn’t cry or show their feelings. He says he has changed since those days, and part of this change has included his conversion to Islam.

Guy, 69 - Advertising Creative Director

Guy, one of the jurors in 'The Jury: Death on the Staircase'.
Guy, one of the jurors in 'The Jury: Death on the Staircase'.
British-born Guy is an advertising executive. True to his profession, he loves observing people and their behavioural traits and patterns to formulate his creative ideas. He has also recorded a Mensa-level IQ. Guy has lived and worked all over the world. Intimate working relationships with people from other backgrounds and cultures has led him to understand and sympathise with the prejudice and racism too many people endure in our society.

Mishelle, 50 - Financial Consultant

Mishelle, one of the jurors in 'The Jury: Death on the Staircase'.
Mishelle, one of the jurors in 'The Jury: Death on the Staircase'.
Mishelle or ‘Mish’ is a spirited and vibrant ‘Westie’ at heart. She is the mother of two adult sons and is quick to smile and laugh. She grew up in the school of hard knocks in Fairfield and it’s left a strong impression on her. Mish is a big believer in humour to diffuse uncomfortable situations. She believes serving as a juror is an important civil duty and doesn’t understand why so many people see it as an inconvenience.

The Jury: Death on the Staircase is a Northern Pictures production for SBS. Major production investment from SBS in association with Screen Australia. Financed with the assistance of Screen NSW, who also supported post, digital, and visual effects. Based on a format created by ScreenDog Productions and distributed by Blue Ant Studios.

The Jury: Death on the Staircase will be subtitled in Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese.

The Jury: Death on the Staircase airs weekly from Wednesday 6 November at 8.30pm on SBS with each episode then available to stream free on SBS On Demand.

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7 min read
Published 24 October 2024 9:00am
By SBS Staff Writer
Source: SBS

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